Composite structural member



@1.31, 1939. J.D.SHERMANE+AL 2,145,839

COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL MEMBER original Filed Feb. 24, 1936l 3mm Jhco D. SHERMAN Y Cum? 5. REED O-r/s C. CURRIE y. UNITED STATES APamesa Jan. 31, 1939 PATENT OFFICE Y COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL MEMBER ,y Jacob D. Sherman, clairs. mea, and Otis o.

Currie, Jackson, Mich., assignors -to Reynolds Spring Company, Jackson, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application February 24, 1936, SerialNo. 65,404.` Divided and this application January 2, 1937, Serial No. 118,826

A Y d 4 claims. y The present invention relates to improvements in'V composite structural members. preferably of sheet metal and fibrous strip and constitutes a division. of our co-pending application Serial No. y 65,404, filed February 24th, 1936.

f An object of this invention is to provide strong, lightone-piece structural members for general use as framework .elements and the like in which a surface or surfaces are desired to receive fastening instrumentalitiesA such astacks, nails, screws,

1 and the like.

. Yposite metal and fibrous structural member of a j general a reinforcing design in which the sheet metal constitute 'in interior structure for the fibrous exterior. A i 1 .The uses Of the-'present invention are unrestricted in scope and1 generally may be described as those to which wooden structural members Y vhave heretofore found application. One particu- `lar .field of application is that of upholstered' f ystructures in which a tacking surface is required.

This would include vehicle seats and bodies, furfniture,rbox springs, etcf Other uses of the iny vention are found in the field of metallic building'structure in which nailing surfaces for ap- Q plying the exterior and interior structure, and

the like, isdesirable., The invention also has application tothe .fabrication of frameworks of all vdescriptions in which strength and lightness of construction is desired anda tacking or nailf ing surface may or may not be required.

fHeretofore, as appears from the patented art,

. Y l /composite'structural members have been proposed j of metal and wood or fiber of widely varied crosspart the same has been glued or bolted to the metal structure or encased in the metal to prosection in thefurniture, vehicle, and building flelds.` Where wood haslbeenused for the most tect or increase the rigidity of the already relatively rigid wooded structure. Composite structures of sheety metal and fiber,v such as'twisted and laminated paper; are also known buty their uses have been primarily limited to cushion spring .The present invention --posite metal and fibrous structural member which isffabricated incontinuousor cut lengths and Vis madefrom a strip or bar of metal and fibrous frame structure and have not been of .a design permitting more thanV a limited field of application.,

Vforcing member I0.

contemplates a fcomstrip or'tubular section of twisted paper Or the like. Preferably the fibrous strip or tubular section is preformed and sufficiently flexible to be handled from a coil or spool during fabrication if the cross-section of the stripor section permits and if not it is associated with the metal in cut lengths. After the composite structural member has been fabricated into its final form the fibrous strip or section, which normally contains about 12% moisture, will dry out and become relatively hard and rigid, The important feature of the invention resides in the design of the composite members in that a decided structural departure has been made from the metal encased wooden and fibrous tacking or nailing strip and in lieu thereof the metal became in general a reinforcing interior structure thus greatly 'increasing the exposed surface Of the fiber over prior practices. Asa result the utility and field of application ofthe composite structure member has been materially enhanced'.

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which Figs. 1, 2 3 and 4 are broken oblique projections of several embodiments of the invention, the composite metal and fibrous members being shown in section.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the reference character l2 indicates a tubular fibrous strip having snugly telescoped therein a tubular rein- The strip I2 is preferably formed of paper or other fibrous stock and may be twisted, compressed, laminated or otherwise suitably constructed. The tubular reinforcing member l may be welded, drawn or otherwise formed, but preferably is of relatively thin yet strong sheet metal. The fibrous strip l2 and the tube l0 both may be preformed and the tube I0 inserted or fibrous material may be continuously molded about the tube I0. In either case a more secure connection between the fibrous strip I2 and the tube l0 may be obtained by expanding the tube I0 within the strip I2. The method of the construction of the structural elements disclosed in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 may be similar to that disclosed with respect to the construction of the structural element shown in Fig. 1. However, the method of construction of the structural elements disclosed in any of the figures is not of importance here as only the article is being claimed as the invention.

Of similar construction to the'form of Fig. 1 is the element disclosed in Fig. 3 having a tubular kfibrous strip 30 and an interior metallic tubular reinforcing member 32 both of rectangular crosssection. It will be obvious ofcourse that other tubular forms may be used within the scope of the present invention.

In Fig. 2 is disclosed another form of the invention. Therein the tubular iibrou'sstrip 20 has a longitudinal split 'extending radially from the interior to the exterior surface. Telescopically received within the strip 20 is a metallic tubular reinforcing member 22 which likewise is split longitudinally and has its longitudinal edges projecting radially outwardly in the formof contiguous flanges disposed in the longitudinal split of the fibrous strip 20. The outer edges 'of vthe flanges I8 are spread apart in opposite directions and rolled into contacting `relation with the exterior surface of the strip 20adjac'entfthe edges of its split.

Another form which the invention may take is disclosed in Fig. 4 in which the iibrou's strip 24 is 'semi-cylindrical. The strip 24 is preformed and is secured by 'rivets 28 to a preformed tubular reinforcing member 26, one-half of the exterior surface of the member 26 snugly engaging the interior surface of the strip 24. The strip 24 may have some other configuration 'than semicylindrical. For instance it might constitute onehalf of the strip 30 disclosed in Fig. 3. In such a case the tubular member 26 would assume the configuration of the member 32. Likewise, other configurations may be used wherein the reinforcing member is tubular and the fibrous strip longitudinally engages a portion of the surface of the reinforcing member.

It will be obvious from the foregoing specification that the composite-structural members of metal and fibrous material, as disclosed, constitutel forms of the invention as disclosed in our aforesaid parent application wherein a maximum exposed surface of fiber is available for tacking.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire vto protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A composite structural member of the character described comprising a. semi-cylindrical fibrous strip having an interior surface and a metallic reinforcing member having an exterior surface, said member being tubular in configuration, its exterior surface engaging the interior surface of said strip.

2. A composite structuralmember of the character described comprising a tubular fibrous strip y'having an interior and an exterior surface, said ystrip having a longitudinal split between said interior and said exterior surfaces, and a longitudinally split tubular 'metallic reinforcing member having its longitudinal edges projecting outwardly, said member Vbeing within said strip, snugly engaging the interior surface thereof, and said radially projecting edges projecting outwardly through 'said split.

3. A composite structural member of the character described comprising atubular fibrous strip having an interior and an exterior surface, said strip having a longitudinal split between said interior and said exterior surfaces, and a longitudinally split tubular metallic reinforcing member having its longitudinal edges projecting outwardly in the form of contiguous flanges, said member being within said strip, snugly engaging the interior'surface thereof, and said contiguous flanges projecting outwardly through said split, the outer edges of said flanges being spread apart and in engagement with theouter surface of said strip, adjacent said split.

4. A composite structural member of the class described comprising a preformed, fibrous, grainless, tough, -tack receiving and gripping strip constituting an exposed exterior `tacking surface and a metal strip conforming tothe interior surface of said preformed fibrous strip and constituting a reinforcing interior structure therefor, said metal strip embracing' the'longitudinal edges of said brous strip.

JACOB D. SHERMAN.

CLAIR S. REED. O'IIS C. CURRIE. 

